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Aga Khan sires shuttle to Australasia

The Aga Khan will send stallions to Australia and New Zealand for the first time this year.

Dalakhani (Darshaan) will shuttle to Cornerstone Stud in South Australia and Azamour (Night Shift) heads to Brighthill Farm at Hamilton in NZ.

Both stallions stand at Gilltown Stud in Co. Kildare. “This is an exciting development for the Aga Khan Studs,” manager Pat Downes said. “Australasian racehorse owners and breeders have been increasingly attracted to our racehorses and female lines for some years now.

“We look forward to a new chapter for our involvement in this vibrant market, by introducing two of our most outstanding racehorses and successful stallions. It’s a wonderful opportunity to widen the access of the Aga Khan bloodstock gene pool for Australasian breeders.”

Dalakhani (Ire) won the G1 French Derby in 2003 and has sired 18 Group winners. “Standing a stallion on behalf of His Highness is a great honour,” Cornerstone Stud’s Sam Hayes said. “Very rarely are proven stallions with such breed-shaping potential made available to Australian breeders.”

Dalakhani will stand for a fee of $22,000.

Azamour (Ire) was a Group 1 winner at Royal Ascot, York, Newbury and Leopardstown after placings in the 2004 English and Irish 2000 Guineas. His progeny includes unbeaten 2012 French Oaks winner Valyra and Group winners Eleanora Duse, Shankardeh and Native Khan.

“We are really excited about this opportunity to stand the first horse owned by the Aga Khan to shuttle to this country,” Irish born Brighthill Farm owner Nick King said. “It is a great endorsement of the New Zealand stallion environment.”

Azamour will stand for a $12,000 fee.

Champion Australian sire Redoute’s Choice is currently standing his first northern hemisphere season at the Aga Khan’s Haras de Bonneval in Normandy.